Mail-bag delivering and receiving apparatus.



E. G. GROSSLEY. MAIL BAG DELIVERING AND RECEIVING APPARATUS. APPLICATION FILED APR. 12,1913.

1,070,231. Patented Aug. 12, 1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

O Q 11 g A e [I h Smwmtoz EGTOmssZqgn W'I'IIMQOOGO fltbmmua NOGRAPH (20., WASHINGTON D c.

BIG. CROSSLEY. MAIL BAG DELIVERING AND RECEIVING APPARATUS.

APPLIUATIQNFILED APR. 12, 1913. 1,070,231 Patented Aug. 12, 15913.

Z. 6. Cross lay W /mm COLUMBIA PLANOGRQPH c0. WASHINGTON, D. c

ERNEST G. CROSSLEY, OF STOCKBRIDGE, MICHIGAN.

MAIL-BAG DELIVERING AND RECEIVING APPARATUS.

1,o*ro,231.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 12,1913.

Application filed April 12, 1913. Serial No. 760,739. 7

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ERNEST Gr. CROSSLEY, a citizen of the United States, residing at St-ockbridge, in the county of Ingham and State of Michigan, have invented new and useful Improvements in Mail-Bag Delivering and Receiving Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to mail bag delivering and receiving apparatus; and it has for its object the provision of a series of electromagnets of varying strengths which are arranged in an electric circuit whereby to be normally energized and rendered operative for the attraction of a soft-iron element having connection with the bag for delivery and collection, respectively.

Another object of the invention is the provision of means for automatically deenergizing the bag delivering magnet when the car is within a predetermined range thereof; further, the provision of a car which will be especially designed to receive. the bag when the magnet is de'energized and also the provision of means for ejecting a bag or advancing the same to a position above the car where its soft iron element will be attracted by the receiving magnet.

Another object of the invention is the provision of means whereby any one of the magnets can be manually deenergized so as to permit the bags to be gravitationally deposited in an operators or station masters collecting receptacle.

Another object of the invention is the provision of electrically controlled means which will operate in such manner as to positively prevent destruction of the mail matter during the receiving and delivering operations.

A further object of the invention is the provision of receiving and delivering receptacles which may rise from the floor of a mail car and provided in the floor with a grating or foraminous portion to serve ordinarily as a conductor to permit the outside elements to be discharged from beneath the car.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of mechanism for facilitating adjusting the bag to a delivering position and for holding the bag against accidental displacement while exposed for delivery.

WVith these and other objects in view, the invention consists of certain novel features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts, as will be hereinafter dediagrammatic view, illustrating the manner of connecting the receiving and delivering magnets in separate branch lines or series in the main feed line; Fig. 4 is a vertical section through the elevating mechanism of the delivering receptacle of the car, showing the bag advanced to a delivering position; and Fig. 5 is a similar view of the receiving receptacle of the car.

The invention makes provision of a main or feed circuit A which is operatively connected in parallel with separate circuits B and C, the latter having its terminals operatively connected with a small delivering magnet D, and as shown said circuit C has one of its wires connected as at E with one of the rails F of a track structure diagrammatically illustrated in Fig. 1. Another wire of the circuit is connected through a wire Gr with a short rail H which lies parallel with the rail I of the track structure. The wires E, G, and the rail H collectively form a shunt by means of which the magnet D may be deenergized when the car is in the position shown in Fig. 1. The circuit B is operatively connected in a large magnet J, the latter being preferably disposed at one side of the magnet D, and as illustrated both magnets may be supported upon a bar 1 lying at a suitable point above the track structure and supported by vertical side bars 2, as illustrated in Fig. 1; however, the specific manner of supporting the magnets is immaterial as long as the magnets are positioned with such regard to the receiving and delivering portions of the car, as will effect operative delivering and receiving movements of the bag.

,The car K is provided with delivering and receiving receptacles 3 and 4, respectively, which rise from the floor of the car and which are arranged with their lower ends extended through the floor and provided with gratings or foraminous' bottoms 5. The receptacle. 4 is extended through the roof of the car, and at the upper end the receptacle is provided with a relatively flared mouth 6, which is proportioned longitudinally with such regard to the magnet D as to insure the deposit of the mail bag into the receptacle A, while the magnet D is deenergized. At one side, the receptacle t is provided with a door 7, which may be opened when it is desired to remove the delivered bag. The receptacle 2 is provided with elevating mechanism which includes a lower cross bar 8 having a link 9 pivoted thereto at 10 and forming a part of the main lifting means. The link 9 is pivoted at 11 to a similar link 12, the latter having a platform 13, which is slidable vertically in guides 14 in the receptacle. At the joint 11. is connected a manually operated rod 15, which extends through a vertically disposed slot 16 in one wall of the receptacle 3 and which is provided exteriorly of the recep tacle with a manipulating hand grip 17. At the upper terminal. of the slot 16 is formed a sleeve 18, against which the outer ends of the rod 6 is adapted to engage and through which is adapted to be extended a locking pin 19. Said pin is removably connected with the rod 15, and it is evident that when it is extended through the sleeve 18 as just described, the elevating mechanism will be maintained in a fixed position, so as to support the platform 13 at the upper discharge end of the receptacle.

A strap 20 may be extended around the bag L, shown in Fig. 4-, and as illustrated said strap is provided with a soft metal bar or disk 21 which lies above the open end of the receptacle 3 when the platform 13 is in the position shown. Nhen the bag is exposed for delivery as illustrated in Fig. 4, the side walls 22 of the receptacle form guards, so as to prevent accidental displacement of the bag from the receptacle through movements of the car. The delivering receptacle 3 is provided with a door 23, by means of which the bag to be delivered may be properly arranged on the elevating platform 13.

The car K is provided with a metallic shoe 241:, which is adapted to traverse the surface of the rail 8 and thereby short cireuit or deenergize the magnet D and permit the bag to fall into the receiving receptacle t. It is to be understood that the bag to be received is to be equipped with a strap 20 and soft-iron element 21, as shown in Fig. 4L, so that the bar will be normally attracted by the magnet D and the bag sustained in an operative position. At any suitable time, the bag L, which is to be delivered to the station may be projected to the position shown in Fig. 4, whereby, and simultaneously with the operation of deenergizing the magnet 13, the magnet J will operate to attract the bar 21 and consequently draw the bag L from the elevating platform 13 of the delivering receptacle 3. From this operation, hence the provision of two separate circuits B and C in a main or feed line A, it is understood that the magnet J will not be affected when the companion delivering magnet B is deenergized. In order that a bag may be disconnected from either one of the magnets .D by an operator who may be positioned beneath the magnet I provide each of the circuits B and C with a manually controlled switch 25, which may be operated to open the circuit, so as .to deenergize the magnets.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, the construction and operation of the invention will be readily understood without requiring a more extended explanation.

Various changes in the form, proportion and the minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the principle or sacrificing any of the advantages of this invention, asclainied.

Having thus described my invention, what 1 claim is 1. Mail bag delivery and receiving mechanism for railway cars comprising separate electric circuits, an electro-magnet in each circuit and disposed directly above the path or travel of the car, and means adapted to be attracted by the magnets.

2. In mail bag delivering and collecting mechanism for railway cars, normally energized magnets disposed above the path of travel of the car, means adapted to be attracted by the magnets, and means for deenergizing either one of the magnets.

3. In mail bag delivering and collecting mechanism for railway cars, normally energized magnets disposed above the plane of travel of the car, means adapted to be attracted by the magnets and connect-ed with the mail bag, and means for deenergizing either one of the magnets and for automatically deenergizing one of the magnets.

4. In mail bag delivering and collecting mechanism for railway cars, normally energized delivering and receiving magnets of varying strengths disposed above the plane of travel of the car, and mail bag carried means adapted to be attracted by the magnets.

5. In mail bag delivering and collecting mechanism, normally energized delivering and receiving magnets of varying strengths disposed above the plane of travel of the car, mail bag carried means adapted to be attracted by the magnets, and means for de' energizing the delivering magnet.

6. In mail bag delivering and receiving mechanism for railway cars, delivering and collecting electro-magnets of varying strength disposed above the plane of travel of the car, means to be attracted by the magnets, and car actuating means for deenergizing one of the magnets.

7. Mail bag receiving and delivering mechanism for railway cars comprising receiving and delivering electro-magnets lo cated above the car and wholly separate therefrom, and a car having vertically-extending receiving and delivering devices, respectively alined with the magnets vertically when the car is in one position.

8. In mail bag delivering and receiving mechanism, delivering and collecting electro-magnets of varying strengths means fixedly suspending said magnets whereby they are located directly above the roof of the car when the latter is in one position, means to be attracted by the magnets, and car actuating means for denergizing one of the magnets at a prescribed time.

9. In mechanism of the character described, a vertically disposed electro-magnet in combination with a movable body traversing the magnet in a horizontal plane and beneath the same and provided with an armature, and means for moving the armature to a point within the attracting field of the magnet.

10. In mechanism of the character described, an electro-magnet directly beneath the vertical axis thereof, a movable body traversing the magnet, and provided with an armature and means for moving the armature to a point within the attracting range of the magnet, a second electro-magnet, and means for denergizing said second magnet during the armature-attractingperiod of the first magnet.

11. In apparatus of the character described, a car provided with vertically-disposed mail bag receiving and delivering devices opening directly onto the roof of the car in combination with electrically-influenced devices fixedly supported so as to lie directly above the plane of the roof of the car and adapted to aline with the receiving and delivering devices of the car when the latter is in one position, and an armature for connection with the mail bag and adapted to be attracted by the receivi'ng magnets.

12. In apparatus of the character described, a car provided with vertically-disposed mail bag receiving and delivering devices opening directly onto the roof of the car in combination with electrically-influenced devices fixedly supported so as to lie directly above the plane of the roof of the car and adapted to aline with the receiving and delivering devices of the car when the latter is in one position, an armature for connection with the mail bag and adapted to be attracted by the receiving magnets, and a similar armature attracted normally by the delivering magnet.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ERNEST Gr. OROSSLEY.

Witnesses:

GEORGE CRossLEY, E. B. OSTRANDER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

